12:07 pm

Wed February 6, 2013

Sally Jewell, president and CEO of REI, who is in line to be the next secretary of interior.

Ron Sachs EPA /Landov

Update at 2:25 p.m. ET. It's Official:

Praising Sally Jewell as an executive who turned outdoors equipment retailer REI into one of the nation's most successful and environmentally conscious companies, President Obama just said he is nominating her to be his next interior secretary.

Noting that Jewell, who in a previous job worked as an engineer for Mobil, has also climbed mountains in Antarctica, the president joked about that being "just not something I think of doing."

Our original post:

Sally Jewell, CEO of the outdoors equipment retailer REI, is President Obama's choice to be the next secretary of interior, according to reports from The Associated Press and other news outlets.